What Happens During Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer

The doctor who directs your chemotherapy treatment is called a medical oncologist. Most people have chemotherapy in an outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor’s office, or at home. However, depending on the drugs you’re taking and your health, you may need to stay in the hospital during treatment. Based on the drugs you take, you may take a pill form or get the drugs through an IV, or both.

Chemotherapy for lung cancer usually involves taking more than one drug. This is called combination chemotherapy. You will get chemotherapy in cycles. You will be treated and then have some time to rest. Each treatment and rest period is called a cycle. Then you’ll be treated again and rest again. And this schedule will continue throughout the treatment, which usually lasts a few months. You might have 4 to 6 cycles total.

These are some common chemotherapy drugs used to treat lung cancer.

• Alimta (pemetrexed)

• Camptosar (irinotecan)

• Gemzar (gemcitabine)

• Hycamptin (topotecan)

• Navelbine (vinorelbine)

• Paraplatin (carboplatin)

• Platinol (cisplatin)

• Taxol (paclitaxel)

• Taxotere (docetaxel)

• VePesid, Etopophos, VP-16 (etoposide)